Planning, Scheduling and Construction Management
The construction industry plays a significant role in the development of national economy. Almost half of the total outlay in any Five year plan is utilized for construction activities which constitute an integral part of all development projects. During the last four decades, the construction industry in India has undergone large scale mechanization with rapid changes and advancement in construction practices as well as in the management of construction works. The term ‘Construction’ is no longer limited only to the physical activities involving men, materials and machinery but covers the entire gamut of activities from conception to realization of a construction project.
Construction Management :
Management is the science and art of planning, organising, leading and controlling the work of organisation members and of using all available organisation resources to reach stated organizational goals.
Construction management deals with economical consumption of the resources available in the least possible time for successful completion of construction project. ‘Men’, ‘materials’, ‘machinery’ and ‘money’ are termed as resources in construction Management.
Objectives of Construction Management :
The main objectives of construction management are,
Functions of Construction Management
The functions of construction Management are
(a) Planning
(b) Scheduling
(c) Organizing
(d) Staffing
(e) Directing
(f) Controlling
(g) Coordinating
(a) Planning:
It is the process of selecting a particular method and the order of work to be adopted for a project from all the possible ways and sequences in which it could be done. It essentially covers the aspects of ‘What to do’ and ‘How to do it’.
Importance of planning :
b) Scheduling:
Scheduling is the fitting of the final work plan to a time ? scale. It shows the duration and order of various construction activities. It deals with the aspect of ‘when to do it’.
Importance of scheduling:
Scheduling of the programming, planning and construction process is a vital tool in both the daily management and reporting of the project progress.
c) Organizing:
Organizing is concerned with decision of the total construction work into manageable departments/sections and systematically managing various operations by delegating specific tasks to individuals.
d) Staffing:
Staffing is the provision of right people to each section / department created for successful completion of a construction project.
e) Directing:
It is concerned with training sub ordinates to carryout assigned tasks, supervising their work and guiding their efforts. It also involves motivating staff to achieve desired results.
f) Controlling:
It involves a constant review of the work plan to check on actual achievements and to discover and rectify deviation through appropriate corrective measures.
g) Coordinating:
It involves bringing together and coordinating the work of various departments and sections so as to have good communication. It is necessary for each section to aware of its role and the assistance to be expected from others.
Importance of Construction Management :